Mana Mutation Menace (Journey to Chaos Book 3) (23 page)

“My, my, it
is
a dangerous item,” Lunas remarked.

Aegis stood to his full height and looked down on him.
“Boy, if you did not have diplomatic immunity, I would vaporize you where you
stand.”

Lunas smiled easily. “Then it’s a good thing I have
diplomatic immunity.”

 Without turning his back on the prince, Aegis addressed
Raki. “You're getting better; almost had me this time. How about we get some
ice cream?"

 "Really!? I mean, why would I get ice cream with
you?"

 "Because I'm paying for it."

 “Fine. If you insist."

As she marched professionally to Aegis’ side, it was
painfully obvious that she was trying hard not to skip in happiness. The two of
them left the lair, one substantially happier than the other. Lunas again
offered his hand to Eric.

"Can we be friends now?"

Eric shook it. "We can be more than
acquaintances."

He tried to crush Lunas’ while Lunas tried to wither
Eric’s.

"Good. I look forward to getting to know you better.
Perhaps over breakfast?"

Lunas led the way through the caverns and passages of the
mountain. He walked unerringly to the mess hall. It creeped Eric out that this prince
knew his guild better than he did. Then he remembered the video Kallen showed
him; he’d been here before when he begged for assistance from the guild’s
leadership.

"Mia taught me how to navigate. She's such a friendly
and energetic girl one would never guess how lonely she is when the lobby is
empty."

"You seem to have a way with girls," Eric said,
barely keeping the grendel out of his voice, "such as my receptionist and
my queen."

"Tabloids would have you believe so, but it is not
the case. She gave me the cold shoulder when I arrived and that is also the
case today."

Fascinating. Ordercrafters cannot lie, but if I didn't
know better, I'd think he meant a solid span of time instead of a beginning and
end without mentioning the middle.

 With a joking air, Lunas continued, "Even if her
armored watch dog weren't puppy-guarding her, I would gain little ground beyond
a reverential kiss on her hand.”

Good job, Siron!

"We love our queen. Do you have such adoration back
home or do you brainwash everyone instead?"

Lunas chuckled warmly. "My father provides the people
of Latrot with peaceful and happy lives. At the end of the day, isn't that every
benevolent ruler’s goal?"

Lunas pushed open the double doors and greeted everyone
there. They all stopped what they were doing and returned the greeting. Some
even shook his hand as he made his way to the buffet. He didn't have to say a
word to announce his presence. It was as if an aura enthralled everyone around
him. The only one unaffected was Eric.

He tried to kill me in our duel, just like Gruffle.
Does Order have something against me?

"Your Highness, is it—”

"Lunas, please, if you would. We can hardly be
friends if you insist on titles."

“Lunas, is it true that ordercrafters know the will of
Order?"

"Yes, it is. We are given this power to carry out his
will."

"Then would you know if he has a grudge against
someone?"

"Yes, I would."

"Does he have one against me?"

"Good mana, no! Did you think he would because you
are The Trickster's Choice? That's not your fault and you are no fonder of him
than any other sapient; less so, I imagine."

Ordercrafters can't lie...That was straightforward...But...

"Does he want to kill me?"

"No. I can honestly say Order does not want to kill
you."

There's no wiggle room there...is there?

"However, some extremists may seek to harm you
because of your involvement with the Mana Mutation Summit. Simply because
ordercrafters enforce the will of Order doesn't mean that we lack wills of our
own. We live in a Chaos-based universe, after all. I'd be careful tomorrow. If
you support Medical Mana Mutation, there's a chance you will lose
everything."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Lunas patted his shoulder. "Glad to hear it. Let's
move into lighter matters."

The rest of breakfast was small talk. They shared what
they did over the summer holidays, their jobs, and their favorite shows. As
Lunas put it: “Learning about each other as new friends should.” When they were
both finished, Lunas cleaned up his mess and thanked Eric for the meal. Waving
to everyone present, he left the room and passed Eric's team on his way out.

BloodDrinker hummed and rattled in its scabbard. Basilard
had to grab its hilt to prevent it from jumping out and slaying Lunas on the
spot. The prince inclined his head to Basilard and continued on his way.
Basilard marched to Eric and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Daylra. I didn't swallow any of his
honeyed words. I know they're poison."

"That won't matter if you look him in the eyes."

"Charismatic Eye doesn't work on monsters."

Nolien head-smacked him. "You're not a monster;
you're a demon. This is not a matter of political correctness but proper
medical terminology."

Tiza head-smacked Nolien. "I do the head
smacking."

Basilard head-smacked Tiza. "Head smacking is part of
my authority as team leader."

Eric head-smacked Basilard. "As the Trickster's
Choice, I defy authority." Basilard gave him a stern look. "Er...If
that's okay with you, Daylra."

"I want to know everything that happened. By the way,
happy Torch Day."

Eric briefed him while the three of them ate. Nolien
nibbled, Tiza stuffed her gob, and Basilard piled his plate with meat so raw it
was dripping. While the team leader was proud of the way he handled himself,
the idea that his fellow mercenaries, including his own blood, could fall under
his thrall unnerved him.

"I'm going to have a talk with them later. They know
better than this."

After breakfast, they returned to the lobby for their
mission and a surprise was waiting for them there. It had a furry belly pouch,
deadly legs, and accused them of wasting her time. Tiza brightened and hugged
the kangaroo.

"Anuzat! It's been so long! Happy Torch Day!"

 It was only then that she noticed Anuzat was no longer
wearing her merchant outfit. Instead, she was decked out in royal livery. She
also noticed (force of habit) several weapons on her person: two daggers in her
vest, a folded sword in her pouch, and a pin tucked into the fur between her
ears.

"Why are you wearing Queen Tent Burner's
colors?"

"I work for her now. It's a low-risk job and pays
well enough. By her command, I will join you on this mission. Mia,
explain."

The receptionist pulled a bill out of nowhere and said,
"The Pinetooth Company is finishing the final leg of a long term delivery.
Your job is to protect them on their way from the port to the castle. Since your
client is Her Majesty and the supplies are for the Mana Mutation Summit, she
probably wants you for advertising instead of security detail. Good luck!"

Mission bill in hand, they walked out into warrior town
and, already, they could see the preparations for the day’s activities.

Old-fashioned torches in tripods were being set up at
every street corner and each one was marked with royal colors and the Crowned
Tiger of Ataidar. Closer to the center of town, Anuzat’s fellows were building
a bonfire’s structure. Alongside its counterparts in the other sections of the
city, it would be a hub for the local celebration. There would be contests,
dancing, and many more ways to “demonstrate one’s inner flame.”

Cones marked off certain streets for the grand parade.
Fiol, her tiger familiar, and her lesser-known cousin would all be represented
here by dancers and floats. There would also be fire spirits and elementals,
but whether they would be real or costumed varied year by year. Kasile would
take part by riding on the second largest float. Naturally, the single largest
was reserved for Fiol herself. This was one of the few times that one could see
the Avatar of Fire without undertaking a pilgrimage to her volcano.

Everyone involved in these preparations as well as those
sharing the streets with them stared at the passing mercenary team. After all,
it wasn’t often one saw a grendel outside of a morality play. Eric felt an urge
to inflate his head to gigantic proportions and demand, “What are you lookin'
at?!' As an elf, he should be capable of that.

 
Cogito Ergo Sum—I think, therefore I am; the
difference between a monster and a demon. The outside doesn't matter. I can
shift between human and grendel appearance but under the skin, I remain the
same. Could this be the same idea behind elven shapeshifting?

Shapeshifting had endless possible applications in his
line of work. From turning his skin into armor (although he could already do
that), to making his feet leather to avoid athlete's foot, to expanding his
body to giant proportions, to scratching that hard-to-reach place on his back,
or turning his fingers into blades for combat.

At the dock was a large wooden ship; the kind that cost a
fortune to build and staff, and with a deep hull for carrying large orders to
distance shores. It was parked in a slot that was reserved for it because no
one else parked near it. A brown stink cloud hovered over it as its captain
strolled down the gangplank.

"Hey, Basilard! I was hoping it'd be you!"

The captain was a tall, furry, beaver-like...creature. A
head taller than Basilard, he was coated with sleek and well-groomed fur. His
teeth were large, buck, and shiny as pearls. He had four or five sets of arms with
which to hug Basilard. The stink cloud was coming from him.

"I haven't seen you since your friend's wedding!
How've ya been, ya bloody bastard!?"

"I'm still alive," Basilard said. He waved his
novices forward. "And I got a new team."

"Good! Good...I was hoping you'd move on." He
shook hands with all three of them at the same time. "I am Captain Bowa of
M.S.
Medallion
. Great to meet ya!"

The stink reminded Eric of every locker room he had ever
set foot in, mixed with a dog kennel and seaweed.
If he looks so clean, then
why does he smell so bad?

"Queen Kasile hired us to protect you on your way to
the castle," Anuzat said. "Have you encountered any trouble so
far?"

"Oh yeah! Monsters attacked us and not just the
run-of-the-mill random encounters either. These were freaks!"

"How so?" Anuzat continued.

"Imagine
organized
monsters. Yeah, it was like
fighting someone's fleet! Thankfully, The Shark loaned us
Water Legion XII
and then Poi showed up."

Eric crossed his arms. "Sounds like an ordercrafter
wants to stop you."

"Yep! I was paid extra for this load as a
compensation.” He spun to his crew and shouted, "Men, women, etc., bring
the stuff out."

Bowa's crew rolled out the merchandise and all of them
were humanoid. Some were giant beaver things and others were octopi and a group
were merpeople that shifted legs when they entered the port. All of them had the
same brown clouds hovering over them. They formed the core of a group for the
mercenaries to guard on their way from the port to the castle gates where the
Royal Guard would take over.

"Everybody halt!” Anuzat ordered. “I have special
orders from Her Majesty. Eric, stand up front and look grendely—yes, it says
'grendely.' Nolien, take out the medallion of the noble family you claim you
don't belong to and make sure everyone can see it. Basilard, do likewise with
your family sword. Tiza, use Third Eye to watch for trouble."

Everyone took their positions and their roles, but before
they could begin, Anuzat continued with, "One more thing."

From within her pouch, she brought out an ornamental glass
jar. Inside was a shimmering white fire. Everyone present gazed in amazement
and many made the Sign of Fire over their chests. This was Sacred Fire; the
divine flame generated by the fire goddess Fiol that ran through the veins of
her descendants. It was a power that only the royal family possessed and which
formed the cornerstone of their right to rule. Anuzat handed it to Eric with
due ceremony, and he himself, no stranger to the divine, accepted it with due
reverence.

“Hold this precious flame aloft so the people may see
their divine lady’s majesty.”

“I shall do my best and hold it high with pride.”

They walked down the main road from the docks in Sailor
Town to the curtain wall in Royal Town. On every street, Eric attracted
attention from everyone, from street vendors to those in their beds. A grendel
holding a staff like a standard while Sacred Fire hovered above him like a halo
was a sight that no one could ignore. There was a time when such a thing
terrified him. Now it was just annoying.

Everyone stopped participating in their Torch Day
festivities, whatever they might be, when he passed. They stared at him, took
pictures, and started a social media flurry that would no doubt spin further
from the truth the farther it traveled.

Hopefully, it will be in the direction Kasile wants. Might
as well make this look good.

"Make
way for the Handsome Metal Monkey! I’m on a journey to delivery items of great
importance to the Celestial Fire Queen!"

"Don't flatter yourself," said a crowd voice.
"You're nothing but Protector of the Cargo!"

"I transcend the hierarchy for I am the Trickster's
Choice." The divine fire expanded and illuminated the early morning
streets. “Just as TASIO brought the old fire, I bring new fire."

He cast Air Disk to float like a trickster and cycled
through partial transformations. He made sure everyone present could feel his
savage mind and killing instinct. Then he shifted back to the harmless human.